Perched in the treetops, the baby dragon tilted his head, listening to the humans' conversation.
Gradually, he pieced together their situation.
"Abandoned."
Not in the biblical sense of a people forsaken by gods, but literally... tribespeople cast out.
"The worst part of a plague isn't the death of one person, but its terrifying contagiousness."
One death was no great fear. But one infecting a group, a group infecting a region… in the end, an entire kingdom could fall to disease.
In ancient times, with limited means to prevent or treat pandemics, humanity had only one way to deal with such widespread plagues:
"Abandon them. Let them fend for themselves."
It sounded cruel, but it was a desperate necessity… Lives couldn't be measured in numbers, but anyone could see that the survival of ten people paled against the survival of an entire tribe.
"And, Winna, we're already fortunate enough."
"To come to a place like this before we die… with bright sunlight, a grand temple, and fresh salmon."
"I think the gods have been kind enough to us."
The speaker was an elderly man. Like most common folk, he'd spent his life in the village, but the weight of years gave him an uncommon perspective on "life" And "fate."
Hearing his words, the girl named Winna fell silent.
She recalled fragments of her past… for some reason, her memories of village life grew hazy, slipping out of reach.
All she could clearly remember was the desperation of leaving the village, dragging her sick body alongside her kin through muddy mountain paths… and stumbling upon this sunlit haven by chance, with its pond full of freely swimming fish.
That fish stew had been so delicious!
"If only I could taste it one more time."
Clinging to that hope, the girl, her strength nearly spent, collapsed onto the slope, no longer struggling.
As the old man had said.
If one had to choose a way to die… passing away bathed in sunlight was surely the most comfortable, the happiest.
"Gods."
"Forgive our sins."
…
The world grew quiet.
Everyone lay still, motionless, awaiting their final moments.
Each could feel their life slipping away at a rapid pace… their vision dimming, their breathing growing heavier.
In the end, they lacked even the strength to open their eyes.
If not for their faint, intermittent breaths, Alaric might have thought them already dead.
"They're not dead yet, but they're close."
"Ugh, what bad luck."
Confirming the humans were no longer moving, Alaric finally flew down from the treetops. Landing on the ground, he began to inspect them closely.
... He observed, shaking his head.
He was certain these humans were on the brink of death, and he felt no pity for their fate.
But… die if you must! Just don't die at my doorstep!
It was like a group of vagrants invading his home, eating all the food in his larder... then collapsing on the floor, looking ready to expire.
In theory, it didn't matter; it wouldn't ruin the place's livability… but the owner would still feel uneasy, even growing to resent this once-beautiful new home.
"So, should I save them?"
"No, the question is, can I save them?"
Wanting to do something for these humans but realizing he might be powerless, Alaric scratched his head... his inherited "power legacy" Had no option for [healing].
[No, host, you do have something.]
"Hm? What? Where?"
['The Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood'... authored by a renowned alchemist and a wise scholar.]
"…"
Alaric realized he might have misunderstood the system.
He'd thought it was just an emotionless tool… but now it seemed capable of cracking jokes?
[In truth, dragon's blood is a potent magical reagent. It can vastly improve a human's constitution, even monstrously so. Myths across the world tell of heroes who bathed in dragon's blood to achieve extraordinary feats… though some, after doing so, were assimilated by the dragon's bloodline, becoming dragon-like themselves.]
"Wait, you weren't joking? You're serious?"
[Ding, does the host want a joke? Here's one about a scholar and dragon's blood.]
[In fact, a scholar once discovered a thirteenth use for dragon's blood in an ancient land: crafting a potent healing potion…]
"Stop, that's enough, no more."
…
Alaric hesitated.
But looking at the humans, barely clinging to life, and not wanting his home to become a morgue, he steeled himself. He pierced his scales with a claw, drawing a few drops of fresh dragon's blood.
... But he couldn't feed it to them directly.
As the system said, dragon's blood was both the most potent reagent and a domineering curse… It could enhance the user's constitution but also shift their bloodline toward "dragon."
Alaric had no intention of creating lesser dragonkin; he just wanted these humans to die somewhere else.
So, he dripped the blood into the pond, diluting its effects countless times. Then he dragged the girl who seemed the least ill and tossed her into the water.
"I've done what I can."
"Whether you live is up to you now."
---
If they block this again, you can read it on SH (S-c-r-i-b-b-l-e- H-u-b) under the same title.